Best Cartridge Printer to Refill 2023
Before buying a new printer, find out which ink cartridges it uses. Generally, the cheaper the printer, the more expensive the cartridges. However there are many exceptions to this rule. If you check the printer cartridge compatibility chart you will see which cartridges work with which printers. That way you can work out potential running costs of each machine.
Moving a step further, what if we use this chart to find out which cartridges can be successfully refilled. Then if we try to determine which are the easiest cartridges to refill, we could hopefully find the best printer to refill.
For this exercise we are going to ignore all ink tank printers which are more expensive to buy. We are searching for an ink cartridge printer that is easy and cheap to refill. In addition, let’s try to find a printer at a reasonable price.
If we begin with the cheapest inkjet printers currently on sale we see the Canon Pixma MG2550S and Canon Pixma TS3350S. Both use the Canon PG-545 and CL-546 ink cartridges. In our Louth shop we sell a pair of these Canon original cartridges for £32.99. So a replacement set of Canon cartridges almost costs as much as a new printer. As we have spoken about in previous articles, these cartridges have a built-on print head, and it seems wasteful to dispose of the whole cartridge when the ink runs out. The print heads should be good for at least 3 to 4 refills and possibly many more. So we would need to look for an easy way to refill them. Our Canon 545/546 Eco-Fill Refill Kit comes with black and colour ink, refill tools and instructions.
Currently the cheapest HP inkjet printer are the almost identical HP Deskjet 2720e / 2721e / 2722e models. They use the HP 305 ink cartridges with a built-on print head. Similar to the above Canon cartridges they can be refilled with an Eco-Fill HP305 Refill Kit. The slightly more expensive HP Deskjet Plus 4122e and 4130e also use the HP305 cartridges. We currently sell a pair of these HP original cartridges in our Louth shop for £31.99.
The cheapest Epson inkjet printer, the Epson Expression XP-2205 uses Epson 604 ink cartridges. A multi-pack of 4 Epson original cartridges costs under £40. Sadly to refill these cartridges would require a chip resetter and preferably special refillable cartridges. This would involve swapping the original chip over to the empty refillable cartridge. So maybe this is not an easy printer to refill.
In price ascending order the next models listed on the printer cartridge chart are generally copies of the above machines, but later released and slightly more expensive. We will dis-regard those for now.
The Canon Pixma MG-5350a and MG-5351a All-in-One Wireless Printers use the Canon MG-560 and CL-561 ink cartridges that have a built-on print head. The design is almost identical to the 540/541 cartridges and we offer the EcoFill Refill Kit for Canon 560/561. Previously Canon 5000 series printers used ink tank type cartridges which were much easier to refill.
The new Epson Workforce WF-2110W single function printer (almost identical to the older WF-2010W) uses Epson 16 xl series ink cartridges. Replacement compatible 16xl and 16xl refillable cartridges are cheap, making this printer a good option for refilling if you do not need a scanner/copier.
Similar to the XP-2205, the Epson Expression Home XP-3205 also uses the Epson 604 / 604XL ink cartridges. Again you would require an expensive chip resetter to successfully refill and print.
If you do not require a scanning or copying facility then why not buy a Canon TS705a? This printer has the print head built onto the printer, so you just buy replacement ink tanks, the Canon PGI-580 Large Black and CLI-581 Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow. With this machine you have several refilling options. You can refill the original Canon ink tanks or buy special refillable ink tanks. Currently the 580/581 refillable ink cartridges come fitted with standard compatible chips, so ink levels are only estimated on the first cycle, and afterwards the ink monitor will not work. So you will have to manually check that there is always ink remaining in the cartridges. Not perfect, but the best refilling solution so far.
Yet more Epson printer models to use the Epson 604 cartridges are the Epson Workforce WF-2910DWF, WF-2830DWF, and WF-2950DWF.
A slightly older Epson model, the Workforce WF-2840DWF instead uses the Epson 603 / 603XL ink cartridges. Because this printer is older, refillable cartridges to replace Epson 603 are now available. So the Workforce WF-2840DWF could be added to our shortlist.
The very recently reduced Epson Expression Photo XP-55 inkjet printer has been available for several years now. Designed as a dedicated photo printer it does not feature a scanner. It uses 6x the tried and trusted Epson 24 / 24XL ink tanks (replacement non-oem 24 xl ink cartridges here). The good news is that refillable cartridges with auto reset chips to replace Epson 24 / 24XL are available at a good price. So again, if you do not require a scanner, this WiFi Photo Printer should be added to your shortlist.
The Epson Expression Home XP-5155 All-in-One Wireless Inkjet Printer now costs £89.99. It uses a set of four Epson 502 / 502XL ink cartridges. More printers to use these cartridges are the Epson Workforce WF-2880DWF and Workforce WF-2885DWF. Refillable Cartridges now available to replace Epson 502! These printers can use Pigment ink, making them ideal for fade resistant prints. So these printers are a good option for refilling, particularly the Epson Workforce WF-2880DWF and WF-2885DWF models. However, availability is now limited as they are being replaced by the following printers using Epson 503 cartridges.
Printers that use the newer Epson 503 / 503XL ink cartridges are intended to supersede the above models using the 502 series cartridges. These models costing between £90 and £105 include the Epson Expression Home XP-5200, XP-5205, and Workforce WF-2960DWF. Expect to pay a premium for these ink cartridges. Refillable cartridges are available but fitted with standard compatible chips, and you would also require a chip resetter. So for the time being, these models are not ideal for refilling.
The Epson Expression Premium XP-6100 (Black) / XP-6105 (White) All-in-One Wireless Printer provides good quality printing, scanning, copying, double sided printing, Memory card printing, and WiFi and Apple AirPrint. The machine uses the Epson 202 / 202XL series ink cartridges. Replacement 202XL refillable ink cartridges are available!, and so are compatible ink cartridges. The Large Black cartridge has a generous capacity of 20ml, and the Photo Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow 12ml each.
The Epson Expression XP-6105 is on the shortlist for Best Printer to Refill 2023 (With Scanner/Copier)! Refillable cartridges now available!
The Canon Pixma TS7451a uses Canon PG-560 CL-561 ink cartridges that can be refilled with our Canon 560/561 Eco-Fill Refill Kit.
The Epson Expression Photo XP-8700 Wireless All-in-One Printer uses six Epson 378 / 378XL ink cartridges Replacement Epson 378 series ink cartridges. Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan, and Light Magenta 378XL cartridges have a capacity of 11.2ml. Refillable cartridges to replaced Epson 378 now available!
The HP Officejet Pro 8210 A4 Colour Inkjet Printer uses a set of four HP953 Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow Ink cartridges. The XL versions of the HP953 cartridges can be refilled with 43ml Black, and each Colour with 18ml. We sell a kit containing either dye ink or pigment ink, and a special refilling adaptor for these type of HP cartridges.
The Canon Pixma TS6350a (Black) and TS6351a (White) All-in-One Wireless Printers use the Canon PGI-580 and CLI-581 ink tanks that can be refilled. Compatible replacement Canon 580/581 cartridges are also available. We also sell a package containing refillable cartridges, refill ink, and syringes with blunt needles for the Canon TS-6351a.
We spoke about the Canon Pixma TS6351a in a recent blog. I think it should be added to our best printer to refill shortlist. However, the higher price may discourage potential buyers!
The Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 All-in-One Photo Printer can use the older 33 / 33xl replacement ink cartridges. Refillable Cartridges are also available so this printer could have very low running costs. This printer feels heavy and features an automatic document feeder. There are numerous connection options including printing directly from memory cards.
Interested in buying an A3 Multi-functional printer? The HP Officejet Pro 7720 offers so many facilities including duplex printing, scanning, copying, automatic document feeder, fax, AirPrint, WiFi, Ethernet and USB connectivity. It costs £169.99 and uses the HP 953 ink cartridges. We sell a kit containing either dye ink or pigment ink, and a special refilling adaptor for HP953 cartridges.
Another A3 capable printer featuring a scanner is the Epson Expression Photo XP-970. First released in September 2019, the XP-970 uses 6x Epson 24 Series Ink Cartridges. Refillable Cartridges and Refill Ink to replace Epson 24 / 24XL are available. So are Compatible Ink Cartridges to replace Epson 24.
Released April 2014, the Canon Pixma ix6850 A3+ Colour Inkjet Printer provides high performance printing. Connect to it using a USB cable, WiFi, Ethernet or Apple AirPrint. Similar but cheaper than the Canon ip8750 A3+ machine and using the Canon PGI-550BK Pigment Black / CLI551 Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow Ink Cartridges. These cartridges have been in circulation for nearly ten years now and replacement Canon 550/551 prices are very low. In addition, refillable cartridges to replace Canon 550/551 are very cheap.
Best Cartridge Printer to Refill 2023 Shortlist
Without Scanning/Copying
Canon Pixma TS705 / TS705a
Epson Workforce WF-2010W / WF-2110W
Epson Expression Photo XP-55
Multi-functional Inkjet Printers
Epson Expression Premium XP-6000 / XP-6005
Canon Pixma TS6350a / TS6361a
Epson Expression Photo XP-970
Epson Expression Premium XP-7100
HP Officejet Pro 7720 A3
Best Cartridge Printer to Refill - Winners 2023
Best Multi-Function Cartridge Printer to Refill 2023
Winner - Canon Pixma TS6350a (Black) / TS6361a (White)
Runner Up - Epson Expression Premium XP-6000 / XP-6005
Best Single-Function Cartridge Printer to Refill 2023
Winner - Canon PIxma TS705a
Runner Up - Epson Workforce WF-2010W / WF-2110W
Best A3 Cartridge Photo Printer to Refill 2023
Winner - Canon Pixma ix6850
Runner Up - Epson Expression Photo XP-970
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